While the current immigration debates and conversations on racial profiling can appear distant from Japanese American experiences, I would argue that the correlations between anti-Japanese racism, exclusion, xenophobia and anti-black racism are intimately tied together by similar roots of injustice.

Phil Shigekuni. Image h/t JACL Digest.

From July 24th to July 27th, the generous San Fernando Valley Japanese American Citizens League board sponsored me to represent their chapter at this year’s JACL National Convention in Washington D.C. As a new hire in this organization, it was thrilling for me to have the opportunity to learn more about the JACL on a national level. My experiences at the national convention exceeded my expectations, as I genuinely grew a greater appreciation for celebrating this year’s 25th anniversary of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 and more than a decade of fighting to win redress.At convention, I felt so grateful to be a member of the younger generation in attendance, because the stories that were shared by redress community leaders such as John Tateishi and Norman Mineta are so important to learn. Even in our own local communities, I wish that more youth had the opportunity to learn from humble and passionate social justice Nikkei advocates, such as Phil Shikeguni, who was honored during the JACL Legacy Luncheon for his hardworking leadership during the redress movement. After learning more about the collective efforts of our community to win redress when it once seemed impossible, it was a significant moment to walk through the National Archives and see the original signed documents of Executive Order 9066 and the 1988 Civil Liberties Act side by side for the first time in history.In addition to commemorating our community’s victory, I was proud that our national organization was lobbying legislators about the need for comprehensive immigration reform, as well having the attendees dialogue on critical issues such as racial profiling, the loss of Trayvon Martin and the disturbing acquittal of George Zimmerman. While the current immigration debates and conversations on racial profiling can appear distant from Japanese American experiences, I would argue that the correlations between anti-Japanese racism, exclusion, xenophobia and anti-black racism are intimately tied together by similar roots of injustice. As a young social justice Nikkei advocate myself, I would like to encourage that Japanese Americans have an important responsibility to contextualize the injustices that our community has faced to the struggles that multiple marginalized communities endure today.

Korean Comfort Women and the JACL Board The issue of the Comfort Woman Sculpture at the Glendale Library was first discussed at the August meeting of the JACL board. Nancy Takayama, Harold Kameya, Kathy Masaoka and other members of the NCRR and Manzanar Committee had been in attendance at the unveiling ceremony on July 30th. After some discussion, the decision was made to study the issue and to have further discussion at the September meeting. Before the September meeting, links to several youtube clips and articles were sent out to board members for their study. At the September JACL board meeting, Kathy Masaoka spoke on her involvement in the Comfort Women issue. She was among the speakers in the unveiling ceremonies on July 30th and she had asked the JAs in the audience to stand behind her in a show of support. For those of you who are not familiar with the comfort women issue, I urge you to go to youtube.com and type into the search block: The Butterflies: flying high with hope, 20 years of history & Halmonies’ peace. The 25 minute documentary will provide you with essential information. You will learn of the 20 year long weekly demonstrations in Seoul in front of the Japan embassy. One former comfort woman passionately screamed out: Who do I have: A husband? A child? I have NO ONE! Japan, Bring me back to when I was 15! The Butterflies documentary also mentions the year 2000 investigation by the UN Commission on Human Rights, and its recommendations which were adopted by the UN. In 2007, the US House of Representatives passed bill HR121, sponsored by Mike Honda. The bill was supportive of the claims against Japan by the comfort women. That bill inspired similar resolutions to be passed in Canada, the Netherlands and the European Union. To conclude the discussion, Phil Shigekuni, our Civil Rights chairperson, wanted to have the board pass a resolution that supports the Glendale Library sculpture and endorses House Bill HR121 by Rep. Mike Honda. President Brian Moriguchi stated that it was important, as a civil rights organization, to take a position supporting the comfort women and their need for a full apology and financial reparations. Additionally, we should contact the OCA, Organization of Chinese Americans and any Korean civil rights groups to see if a joint statement might be an appropriate action to take. Lastly, the Korean Comfort Women issue is a reminder of the continued abuse and sexual slavery of women today. I invite you to provide us feedback of your opinions and thoughts. As with any controversial issue, we do not think as a single collective mind. I can also provide you with additional links for further study. On a side note, there is a need to educate younger non-JA reporters and the Korean population about the various segments of our Japanese American population, as well as the JA history during WWII. To illustrate (note: the bolding is mine): Christina Villacorte of The Daily News wrote: Over the objections of dozens of Japanese-Americans who crowded City Hall chambers, the Glendale City Council voted Tuesday to install a controversial memorial at Glendale Central Park honoring "comfort women" – The Rafu Shimpo in its coverage used “Japanese nationals” or “Japanese nationalists” to describe the dissenters. When I asked for information from a member of a Korean committee involved with the sculpture, his cautious response included the following words: ”... It is a great pleasure for us to see a Japanese organization supporting this issue. This is very rare and I want to get a little bit more information....” In my response to him, I delineated the various segments of the Nikkei population in the US (which included the Shin Issei), and I made sure to mention that since many of the JA’s (or their parents) were imprisoned by the US government during WWII, we are especially sensitive to the civil rights of each individual.

This summer, the Japanese American Citizens League Pacific Southwest (JACL-PSW) District office is hosting Katarou Histories, a ten week dialogue-based program for all generations to foster a deeper understanding of identity, community and the importance of preserving oral histories in the San Fernando Valley’s Japanese American community. This is the second summer the San Fernando Valley JACL chapter and the PSW District office have collaborated to encourage more community members to learn about the significance of sharing their stories and building community by enriching our collective knowledge.

Through this experience, Miharu Okamura, a JACL intern helping to plan this program has expressed that, “Getting to work with people, who have experienced and gone through such difficult times has been a true eye opener…Not only have I gained experience with working with an intergenerational demographic, but also life experience getting to listen to their stories. Something that I have learned from this program is that, you’re never too old or too young to inspire creation, aspiration and courage to the community.”

Katarou Histories offers a rare chance for Japanese Americans from multiple generations to not only share and be exposed to narratives that are often unheard, but to feel empowered to preserve their oral histories through creative outlets. The participants in Katarou Histories are currently working on their final projects to share their discoveries with the greater community on August 24th at 2 PM at the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center (JACCC) Cultural Room in Little Tokyo. We encourage you all to join us for the inaugural celebration of our Katarou Histories program participants and their intergenerational collaborative efforts to empower the community and preserve our cultural, community and regional history.

Don't let race cloud your vision in deciding who is the best candidate for Sheriff. Look at their leadership, their character, their integrity as these are the qualities of a good Sheriff.

President Brian Moriguchi

As a 28 year veteran of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD), I have recently received many inquiries from fellow Japanese Americans about Paul Tanaka, retired LASD Undersheriff, who is running for Sheriff in 2014. "You must support him, right? After all, he is a fellow JA." is a common comment I hear from people, or "Wouldn't it be great to have the first Japanese American ever as Sheriff!" My answer is always the same. Don't let race cloud your vision in deciding who is the best candidate for Sheriff. Look at their leadership, their character, their integrity as these are the qualities of a good Sheriff. If you believe Paul Tanaka has those qualities, then vote for him. If not, then don't vote for him. That is something personal and each of us must make our own decision.I recall similar conversations I have had with others about Barack Obama, Senator Ted Lieu, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, and many others. I am surprised at how many people put race before qualifications. That's not to say these individuals aren't qualified, only that some of the people I spoke to looked ONLY at their race and not at their qualifications. Is it more important to support a particular person because of his/her race rather than their abilities and qualifications? Is that not racial bias? Is it different to say "I like this guy because of his race" than to say "I dislike this guy because of his race"? Sure, the former sounds better, but aren't they both racial bias?This topic is not so black and white (no pun intended). I have heard people say 'It's not that I don't like my daughter dating a Hakujin, but I wish she would date a Japanese guy." Is there anything wrong with that statement? How about, "I want to see more Asians in politics so they can represent our needs better." Anything wrong with that statement? Or maybe "This country was founded by Christians and should maintain its Christian roots."Many of us may agree with some of the statements above, even if we don't openly say it. The point is that race DOES play into our decision-making even when we know it is wrong. I would like to think people would say, "I don't care who my daughter dates as long as they make her happy." and "I will vote for the person who best represents the needs of ALL people." and "This country was founded by Christians, but we should respect all religions equally." But that simply isn't reality and it is a sad reflection on us as human beings. Bias lives in all of us.So who do I support in the Sheriff's race? Paul Tanaka has some good qualities and some bad qualities. So does Sheriff Lee Baca as well as each of the other candidates. In the end, I will vote for the person I believe has the greatest leadership skills, strong character and respect towards others, and integrity to do the right thing...always.

Therefore, my vote goes to....you didn't really think I was going to tell you did you?